Jerry Seinfeld’s Closed Door
“Let me tell you why my tv series in the 90s was so good, besides just an inordinate amount of just pure good fortune. In most tv series, 50 percent of the time is spent working on the show, 50 percent of the time is spent dealing with personality, political, and hierarchical issues of making something. We spent 99 percent of our time writing. Me and Larry [David]. The two of us. The door was closed. It’s closed. Somebody calls. We’re not taking the call. We were gonna make this thing funny. That’s why the show was good.”
This quote from Jerry Seinfeld is a good reminder to continue focusing on doing good work as much as possible. It’s easy to get caught up with drama and politics, but it takes discipline to block out all the distractions and keep working at what makes your [insert whatever you do here] good.
Say the Hard Thing
“On my short list of critical leadership skills, the ability to ‘say the hard thing’ is right after ‘delegate until it hurts.'”
I’ve been reading through so much content on the Rand’s blog the last few months and I’ve really enjoyed his clear and thoughtful approach to breaking down management and team dynamics. This post in particular has helped me out a lot recently. Say the hard thing quickly—it’s better for everyone.
What I Learned from Living with a Navy SEAL
“After you’ve physically suffered, not much that happens in a business meeting is going to shake you up.”
Not that I did SEAL training or anything, but I can relate from working a lot of labor intensive jobs in the past. I think there is so much that we can learn from things like construction or warehouse work that can be applied to the technology field (we probably need those things now more than ever).
Forty-Five Things I Learned in the Gulag
“I realized that humans were human because they were physically stronger and clung to life more than any other animal: no horse can survive work in the Far North.”
This was probably my favorite article I read so far this year. It was written by Varlam Shalamov, who was imprisoned for 15 years in Kolyma (far East Russia – one of the coldest places on Earth) for “counter-revolutionary Trotskyist activities.” This piece of writing is a collection of things he learned while there. Highly recommended.
Digital Wellness for Grown Ups
“I’m a grown man. If I’m checking my phone every 5 minutes, or playing video games instead of paying attention to my kids, I don’t need an animation of a dying tree to nudge me toward better habits, I need someone I respect to knock the stupid thing out of my hand and say “get your act together.” My sense is that more and more people in our current culture of digital excess are hungry for this type of strong challenge. They don’t want to depend on Apple to tweak their OS to be slightly less intrusive, or need to download an app that provides a fun reminder about disconnecting; they want instead to be so wrapped up in doing things that are hard and important and meaningful that they forgot where they left their phone in the first place.“
Another one from Cal. There has been a recent trend in tech companies where they introduce new features that limit/try to make users aware of time they’re spending on their devices. I agree with Cal here—more technology isn’t the answer here, it’s curiosity and deep work.
The 4 Kinds of Side Businesses You Can Start
“The biggest key to successful side hustles that I’ve seen? understanding that you’re not starting a startup. Get this idea out of your head. You’re starting a profitable side business to bring in cash and build your capability as an entrepreneur. You are not starting the next Facebook – just bringing in some cash to buy your freedom.”
I hear this kind of thinking fairly often. A side hustle doesn’t need to (in fact, shouldn’t be) something that takes off, gets VC funding, or make it to the Fortune 500. By definition, a side hustle is just something that can make you some extra money on the side of whatever your main hustle is. In my experience, low costs and agility are both key parts to a successful side hustle.
Starting With Where You Are, Not Where You Should Be
“If your boat has a serious leak, you don’t care what direction it’s pointed. Relatedly, you must get control of your current situation and increase your stability and mental and emotional bandwidth in order to elevate your focus on where you think you should be going.”
I like this analogy when thinking about GTD as a practice. Sometimes we have leaks we need to patch up right now! Prioritizing your tasks and being flexible based on the current situation is key.